This is the HERTFORDSHIRE BIRDING website instigated and updated on a regular basis by LGRE (Lee G R Evans). Not only does it incorporate all of Lee's Hertfordshire Diary Notes but also hosts ALL sightings of interest within the county

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Saturday, 22 November 2014

Following information kindly provided by
Joan Thompson, I raced over to HILFIELD PARK RESERVOIR late afternoon (Saturday
22 November), where Steve Murray had located 6 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS - a rare
bird in Hertfordshire and the first to be recorded this year. Despite the gloom
(it was dark by 1530 hours!!), I managed to locate (and photograph) the six
birds as they flirted with the gull roost (6,000 birds and counting) - all being
'yearlings' (eg, juveniles). I later learnt that numerous Red-breasted
Mergansers had been recorded today including a flock of 8 at Arlington Reservoir
(East Sussex), 4 flying west along the River Thames at West Thurrock (Essex)
then Beckton (Gtr London) and singles at Angler's Country Park (West Yorks) and
Staines Reservoirs (Middlesex). Most pertinent however, and perhaps directly
related, were 6 juveniles present at Diddington Pit, Paxton Pits NR (Cambs)
briefly earlier in the day. Two Common Goldeneyes also joined them towards dusk.
Record shots of the flock follow.....

Tuesday, 11 November 2014

Over at HAY STREET, the juvenile ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD continues to draw in admirers from all over the Southeast region - showing very well as it routinely carries out a hunting circuit from its base in Hay Lane Plantation. It can be easily seen from Hay Lane (just off of the A10 north of the Braughing roundabout) or from the footpath that leads away south from the lane. It has now been joined by a SHORT-EARED OWL, venturing out from cover from about 3.30pm depending on weather conditions

PARKING: there is only sufficient parking in Hay Lane for about 8 cars at the maximum so best to park in Braughing and walk up

Here is a selection of IAN WILLIAMS' outstanding shots of the ROUGH-LEG followed by my record shots of the SHORT-EARED OWL from last night...

Monday, 3 November 2014

Mike Ilett came across a large, pale buzzard
whilst searching for a purported ringtail Hen Harrier at Hay Street early
yesterday afternoon, his image posted to me over the internet quickly confirming
the bird as a juvenile ROUGH-LEGGED - one of over 35 recorded in Britain over
the past month (a widespread influx following an excellent breeding season after
a glut of Voles in the Arctic tundra & forests). The bird was showing well
and over the next few hours, Mike was able to direct 15 or so local observers on
to his find (both he and Jason Ward obtaining some first-rate images over the
course of the afternoon).

Otherwise engaged with an adult Franklin's
Gull, my first opportunity of visiting was today - fortunately the bird being
still present. As yesterday, it was patrolling the edges of Hay Lane Barn
Plantation at TL 385 257, where both a recently mown hay field and rough pasture
were offering ideal opportunities for the hunting of small rodents. Despite the
weather, the bird was showing very well, usually perching on the outer edge of
the plantation or on the recently cut hedgerow along the southern perimeter.
Like virtually all of the birds involved in the current irruption, it was a
juvenile, typified by its white primary bases, diffuse undertail bar, streaked
breast, buff underwing coverts and contrastingly white head. When hunting for
food, it would fly out from the wood and hover for several minutes over the
field, before pouncing down on to the ground. By the looks of it, it could
remain in the area for several weeks. Adam who lives at Hay Lane Barn was very
interested in the bird and very kindly allowed those of us present an
opportunity to explore the area, a tiny herd of 4 FALLOW DEER (including a stag)
being my first ever record of this mammal in TL 38 25. The area also produced 8+
Yellowhammer, a couple of TREE SPARROW, 6 Redwings, Red Kite and 2 Common
Buzzards.

DIRECTIONS:

There is only sufficient room for 7 cars to
park safely in Hay Lane so parking could prove problematical if large numbers of
birdwatchers congregate (the road is surprisingly busy and used by HGV's taking
a short cut). The lane itself is accessed off of the A10 just under a mile north
after the Braughing roundabout - towards the northern end of the dual
carriageway section.

About Me

I have been birding since 1969 but became obsessed with 'twitching' in 1974 and haven't looked back since. Have driven over 1.3 million miles in pursuit of rare birds in the UK, where to date I have recorded 588 species in Britain and Ireland. I also have a fascination for the Birds of the Western Palearctic, where I have currently recorded 880 of the 1,064 species ever recorded. I am widely travelled in North America, as well as in Africa and Asia, and have written at least 29 books on my chosen subject, including best-sellers ''Ultimate Site Guide to Scarcer British Birds' and 'Rare Birds in Britain 1800-1990'. Established the UK400 Club in 1981 to cater for the most obsessive of the British birding fraternity and now concentrate on online publishing, via the www.uk400clubonline.co.uk website. Record Birding achievements include recording 386 species in Britain & Ireland in 1996 and 627+ in the Western Palearctic in 2008